Wednesday, 15 July 2015

So, this post is about two months too late to be of any real use, since the Sephora Bronze Bares All set has been sold out online for quite some time. Buuuuut, I thought I would post it anyways in case one pops up in your local store and/or to give you a sense of what the "Sephora Favorites" sets are like. And, let's be honest, I wanted to use the cute pictures I took whilst on holiday in Albania. So here we are.

Nouveau Cheap was the first place I saw the Bronze Bares All set being talked about. It first started popping up in stores around May 9, and on May 12 it was on Sephora.com. The Sephora Favorites sets are always a great value—and an amazing way to try out new products—and this one was no different. At $39, I quickly put this in my cart and checked out.

The Bronze Bares All set contains a variety of products that I will use (everything apart from the Tarte The Sculptor, which I've tried in the past and returned due to its extreme orange-yness) but it was the includion of two products that made this a no-brainer for me: 1) a full size of the NARS lip gloss in Supervixen; and 2) a deluxe sample size of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal. I don't know about you, but I have enough makeup that I will quite literally never, ever use everything up, so I actually prefer getting smaller sizes of most products. This made the adorably dinky Becca Opal perfect for me!

Sephora Favorites sets are a great way to try out new products or to get a set that includes an item you already know you want for a lower price. The brands list on Sephora.com even has them in a separate category, making it easy to browse which sets are currently available. The downside is that, in my experience, these have a tendency to sell out quickly so if you see one that you want, grab it! There are also often different sets available at the Sephoras inside of JC Penney versus what you can see on the Sephora website. Totally justifies a trip to the mall, if you ask me...

Did you pick up the Sephora Bronze Bares All Set? Do you like these sort of sampler kits? Let me know below and head to Bloglovin, Instagram, and Twitter to follow me!

Friday, 10 July 2015

I am the first to admit that I am a highlighter junkie. At last count, I had over 20 highlighters for the face, so it is an understatement to say that I didn't need to get any of the Colourpop Highlighters. But given their remarkable price point ($8 each) and how much I love the Colourpop Eyeshadows, ordering them was a no brainer.

I choose these five shades based on the many swatches and reviews available on YouTube, Instagram, and various blogs. Smoke n' Whistles was the most "traditional" of the 5 shades that I purchased (and by that I mean it is the most similar to other highlighters I own), but some of the shades (like Hippo and Teasecake) are exceptionally unique. In general, some of the shades in the Colourpop Highlighter line are very pigmented and are probably better suited to being used as blushes or blush toppers.

Like the Colourpop Eyeshadows, I prefer to apply the Highlighters with my fingers, which is my normal method for applying most cream or liquid highlighters. I haven't noticed any of these shades interfering with my powder blush when applied over top, which would be a deal breaker for me.

R to L: Hippo, Smoke n' Whistles, Wisp, Teasecake, Highly Waisted

The finish of all of the highlighters is listed as 'Pearlized' on the Colourpop website, but they do vary a bit, with some being more shimmery vs. metallic vs. glittery vs. duo-chrome, and so on. I think I will be able to wear Hippo and Smoke n' Whistles year round (and maybe even Teasecake with the right blush), but on my pale skin in the dead of winter, Wisp and Highly Waisted might be too dark.

Overall, I think the variety of shades available make these some of the most unique and covetable highlighters on the market. You may not need them, but you need them, if you get my drift.

Have you tried any of the Colourpop Highlighters yet? Which shades are your faves? Let me know in the comments below!

Sunday, 5 July 2015

I feel like I need to start this review by saying that you need these lipsticks in your life. Everyone needs them in their life. Everyone. They're that good. I consider myself somewhat of a lipstick connoisseur and I think these bad boys might just be my favorite formulation of all time.

L to R: Love Liberty, Very Victoria, Bond Girl

The packaging on the Matte Revolution Lipsticks, like all Charlotte Tilbury products, is gorgeous. I find that the squared off shape of the bullet makes them slightly more tricky to apply than a traditional shape, but it's nothing too difficult. And it's well worth the slight extra effort.

L to R: Love Liberty, Very Victoria, Bond Girl

The texture of these is very light and—unlike most matte formulas—they are not drying in the slightest. I find all three shades that I picked up to be some of the most comfortable lipsticks I've ever worn. They don't last exceptionally long (I reapplied every 4 hours or so, which is typical for me). I find that there is often a trade-off with matte lipsticks: the ones that are the most drying or tight feeling on the lips usually have the best lasting power. Since I don't mind occasionally touching up my lipstick, I'd take the more comfortable formula any day of the week.

Very Victoria

Very Victoria is the shade that I had the most doubts about. I've always had difficulty finding nude shades that suit me, and given that I couldn't swatch this in person before purchasing, it was a bit of a gamble. I'm thrilled that I got Very Victoria, though, as it might just be my favorite of the three! It is a beautiful shade that adds enough color that I don't look sickly. It's warm without being too warm (which would not suit my skin tone and color). It is truly my perfect nude and it looks stunning with just about any lip gloss, if you want to get away from a matte look.

Bond Girl

Bond Girl is described as a 'chic natural berry' shade on Charlotte Tilbury's website. I suppose it does have an ever so slight hint of berry to it, but I really see a mid-toned browny pink (with a hint of peach?) when I wear this. It's a fantastic color to wear on days where you need to look polished and professional.

Love Liberty

Love Liberty is supposedly a 'wild-rose flush', but this is the shade that I see more berry in, rather than Bond Girl. It is the perfect berry shade for year round. It's not overly vampy, so it works during the day time and in the summer months, but it does add a bit of a statement to your makeup look. And I love that although it is a cool shade, it doesn't end up pulling fuchsia on me, which many lipsticks do.

The Matte Revolution Lipsticks were available on the US version of CharlotteTilbury.com for a limited time during the month of April, but they will be back (presumably available at all retailers that stock CT products) in September. If you live elsewhere in the world, you can get your hands on these lipsticks now. And I highly, highly recommend that you do.

Have you picked up any of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks? Which shades did you get? I think I want something peachy or coraly, so Amazing Grace or Sexy Sienna might be next for me.

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Another month, another favorites list. During the month of June I finally received all of the products that I ordered over the past few months (an epic haul featured on my instagram here, made possible by my mother who brought them to me!) I'm still working on photographing everything, so most of the products are still untouched. But during June I did crack into a few of the products, some of which I quickly fell in love with. And I rediscovered a few stellar products that have been in my collection for years. So, without further ado, here are my monthly favorites!

Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Toilette: After having my eye on Philosykos for years (thanks to bloggers like ViviannaDoesMakeup and Lily Pebbles), I finally pulled the trigger on this thanks to an incentivizing 20% off at BeautyBar. My only regret is that I didn't pick up Philosykos sooner. It is absolutely lush. It is fresh, but warm at the same time and I cannot stop spritzing myself with it. I'm slightly afraid I'll go through the bottle too quickly, but it would be an easy repurchase for me if I do. Available at BeautyBar for $90.

Dior Glossy Lipliner in 463 Candy Rose: I only have a sample size of this lipliner, which I picked up from IzzysBeautyShoppe after hearing LisaLisaD1 rave about it. Dior no longer makes the glossy lipliners, unfortunately, but the shade 463 Bois de Rose in Dior's regular lipliner line appears to be a shade match. It's a mid-toned warm pink—nothing terribly unique, but what I love it for is to provide a base for the next product...

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Nourishing Nude: The Colour Riche Balms from L'Oreal don't seem to get a lot of love in the beauty world, but I love the glossy finish that they give the lips. My biggest gripe is that they have basically zero lasting power. That problem is easily solved by wearing them over a lip liner. The shade Nourishing Nude is a warm beigy nude color that looks great paired over virtually any lip liner. On top of Dior's Candy Rose, it becomes a pinkier nude. The lipliner helps the Colour Riche Balm last longer, while the Balm makes the lipliner feel much more comfortable and moisturized on the lips. It's a win-win!

IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream in Medium: Despite the fact that many people love a host of products by IT Cosmetics, as a brand it doesn't really appeal to me. Something about the aesthetic of it comes across a bit cheap or tacky to me. I also despise pretty much anything marketed as a BB or CC cream. Despite that, however, in late May I decided to try a sachet sample of the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream in Medium. I was sure that it would be far too dark on me, but I was very pleasantly surprised that it was a good shade match for me (perhaps it would be too dark in the dead of winter, but with a bit of summer color, it's a great match). It is pretty high coverage and it gives a pretty flawless finish to the skin. Because it has excellent SPF (50+ broad spectrum protection), I've been wearing it a lot recently as I've been out in the sun more than normal! The shade range is super limited (fair, light, medium, tan, and rich) but if you can find a match, I would really recommend trying it out. Available at Beautylish for $38.Monika Strigel Really Mermaid iphone 6 case: After almost 5 years with my trusty iphone 4, I decided to upgrade to an iphone 6, which was an excellent excuse to buy a new case. I love the glittery mermaid fish scale-ness about this one. It's not the sturdiest case out there, but it's gorgeous! I bought it from Casetify for $39.95 (if you use the code *HN3HUF, you can get $10 off + free shipping on any purchase from Casetify, just FYI).

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette + Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadow in Angelic Cockatiels: This has been my absolute go-to eyeshadow combo for months now. The formulation of Rouge Bunny Rouge's eyeshadows is unparalleled--they are so buttery, and Angelic Cockatiels is the most stunning shimmery pale gold I've ever seen. I apply this to my lid with a blend of Salted Caramel + Milk Chocolate in the crease. It's professional enough that I feel comfortable wearing this combo to work and it really brings out blue eyes. I couldn't imagine my collection without either one of these products. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette is available at Ulta for $49 and you can grab Rouge Bunny Rouge Angelic Cockatiels at Beauty Habit for $25.

Erin Condren 12-Month LifePlanner: Even though I've always been an avid list-maker, I've never been a big planner person. But I recently started seeing a lot of videos pop up on YouTube about the Erin Condren planner in particular (and all of the stickers & accessories available for the EC planner). Given that I have little willpower to resist such things, I ordered my first planner at a substantial discount (50%) as it was well into April by the time I ordered it. I am now obsessed with using my planner to track everything from my workouts, my water intake, my holidays, dinners with friends, to my makeup brush washing schedule, etc. Even if my life is a hot mess, this planner gives me a (possibly false) sense of organization! It's also sturdy enough to handle being chucked into my much-too-full work bag everyday! 18-month versions of the LifePlanner (through the end of 2016) are available at *ErinCondren starting at $55.

What are your June Favorites? You know the drill, leave them below or link me to yours! I'd love to have a look at them. And please head to Bloglovin, Instagram, and Twitter to follow me!